Ceiling fan

ABSTRACT

A ceiling fan includes a transmission unit for decoration. The transmission unit includes a base seat connected to a stator axle of a rotating motor for driving a blade module, a sun gear disposed rotatably on the base seat, a driving motor disposed on the base seat, and a first planet gear connected to the driving motor and meshing with the sun gear. The driving motor drives the first planet gear to rotate the sun gear. The sun and first planet gears are exposed at a bottom side of the base seat so as to be externally visible.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Chinese Utility Model Patent Application No. 202020357285.5, filed on Mar. 19, 2020.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a ceiling fan, more particularly to a ceiling fan with decorative gears.

BACKGROUND

A conventional ceiling fan is attached to the ceiling to provide cooling air flow when it is sultry indoors. Lamps may be attached to the bottom of the conventional ceiling fan to provide lighting. However, the conventional ceiling fan only has the practical function of cooling, and a rotation speed of the blades thereof are very fast, meaning users will not especially notice movements of the conventional ceiling fan under operation.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the object of the disclosure is to provide a ceiling fan that can alleviate the drawback of the prior art.

According to the disclosure, a ceiling fan includes a hanging base, an upper casing connected to the hanging base, a rotating motor, a blade module, and a transmission unit.

The rotating motor is disposed in the upper casing and includes a stator axle extending along an axis and a rotor seat rotatably mounted to the stator axle.

The blade module is connected to the rotor seat and includes a plurality of fan blades displaced angularly from each other.

The transmission unit includes abase seat connected to a bottom of the stator axle, a sun gear disposed rotatably on the base seat, a driving motor disposed on the base seat, and a first planet gear connected to the driving motor and meshing with the sun gear. The driving motor drives the first planet gear to rotate the sun gear. The sun and first planet gears are exposed at a bottom side of the base seat so as to be externally visible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a ceiling fan according to the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top view of the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary partly exploded view of the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary magnified view of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, an embodiment of a ceiling fan 100 of the disclosure includes a hanging base 10, a hanging tube 20, an upper casing 30, a rotating motor 40, a blade module 50, a transmission unit 60, an axle extension sleeve 70, a connecting plate 80, a transparent lower cover 90, a switch box 91, a switch cover 92, and a decorative button 93.

The hanging base 10 is adapted to be secured to a ceiling (not shown).

The hanging tube 20 extends along an axis (X) and interconnects the hanging seat 10 and the upper casing 30.

The upper casing 30 is connected to the hanging base 10 through the hanging tube 20.

The rotating motor 40 is disposed in the upper casing 30 and includes a stator axle 41 extending downwardly along an axis (X) and out of the upper casing 30, and a rotor seat 42 rotatably mounted to the stator axle 41 and disposed in the upper casing 30. The stator axle has an axle hole 411 (see FIG. 4) in spatial communication with said hanging tube 20. The axle hole 411 is adapted for passage of wiring therethrough.

The blade module 50 is connected to the rotor seat 42 and includes a mounting frame 51 connected to the rotor seat 42, a plurality of blade supports 52 arranged equiangularly about and mounted to the mounting frame 51, and a plurality of fan blades 53 respectively mounted to the blade supports 52 and displaced angularly from each other. As the fan blades 53 are mounted respectively to the blade supports 52, the fan blades 53 are also arranged equiangularly about the mounting frame 51.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the transmission unit 60 includes a base seat 61 connected to a bottom of the stator axle 41, a sun gear 62 disposed rotatably on the base seat 61, a driving motor 63 disposed on the base seat 61, a first planet gear 64 connected to the driving motor 63 and meshing with the sun gear 62, and at least one second planet gear 65 disposed rotatably on the base seat 61 and meshing with the sun gear 62. In this embodiment, the at least one second planet gear 65 includes two second planet gears 65.

The base seat 61 has an upper seat plate 611 connected to the stator axle 41, and a lower seat plate 612 connected to the upper seat plate 611 and having an axle portion 613 that extends downwardly along the axis (X). The upper seat plate 611 has a central part 611 a whose bottom side is covered by the lower seat plate 612 and a lateral part 611 b surrounding the central part 611 a and having a bottom side exposed around the lower seat plate 612. The base seat 61 defines an axle passage 614 extending from a top end of the upper seat plate 611 to a bottom end of the lower seat plate 612, in spatial communication with the axle hole 411 of the stator axle 41, and adapted for passage of wiring therethrough. In this embodiment, the upper seat plate 611 is mounted to a bottom of the stator axle 41 by a nut 615 that is threadedly engaged with the stator axle 41.

The sun gear 62 is connected to the axle portion 613 of the lower seat plate 612.

In this embodiment, the driving motor 63 is disposed on an upper side of the upper seat plate 611 and has an output axle 631 extending downwardly through the upper seat plate 611. In certain embodiments, an output speed of the driving motor 63 is 6 revolutions per minute (rpm).

The first planet gear 64 is connected to the output axle 631 and disposed below the lateral part 611 b of the upper seat plate 611. The driving motor 63 drives the first planet gear 64 to rotate the sun gear 62.

The second planet gears 65 are disposed on a bottom surface of the lateral part 611 b of the upper seat plate 611.

The sun, first planet, and second planet gears 62, 64 are exposed at a bottom side of the base seat 61 so as to be externally visible (see FIG. 2).

In this embodiment, the first planet gear 64 and the second planet gears 65 are equiangularly arranged about the sun gear 62. In certain embodiments, a ratio of a rotational speed of the sun gear 62 to that of the first planet gear 64 is 0.5, and a ratio of a rotational speed of each of the second planet gears 65 to that of the sun gear 62 is 2. That is to say, the first planet gear 64 and the second planet gears 65 have the same number of teeth so that when the driving motor 63 is driving rotation of the first planet gear 64 at a rotation speed of 6 rpm, a rotation speed of the sun gear 62 is 3 rpm, and a rotation speed of each of the second planet gears is 6 rpm.

The axle extension sleeve 70 is connected to the axle portion 613 of the lower seat plate 612, and has a sleeve hole 71 in spatial communication with the axle passage 614. In this embodiment, the axle extension sleeve 70 extends upwardly into the axle passage 614 and is mounted threadedly to the axle portion 613 of the lower seat plate 612. The sleeve hole 71 is adapted for passage of wiring therethrough.

The connecting plate 80 is connected to the axle extension sleeve 70. In this embodiment, the connecting plate 80 is mounted to the axle extension sleeve 70 by a nut 81 that is threadedly engaged with the axle extension sleeve 70.

The transparent lower cover 90 is connected to the base seat 61 and disposed below the transmission unit 60. The sun, first planet and second planet gears 62, 64, 65 are externally visible through the lower cover 90. In this embodiment, the lower cover 90 is connected to the connecting plate 80 and surrounds the axle extension sleeve 70, that is, the lower cover 90 is connected to the base seat 61 through the connecting plate 80 and the axle extension sleeve 70.

The switch box 91 is mounted to the connecting plate 80 and disposed below the lower cover 90. The axle extension sleeve 70 extends downwardly into the switch box 91.

The switch cover 92 is mounted to the switch box 91 and covers a bottom side of the switch box 91. In this embodiment, the switch cover 92 has an opening 921 and is mounted to the switch box 91 by a plurality of screws 922.

The decorative button 93 is mounted removably in the opening 921 of the switch cover 92, and disposed below the axle extension sleeve 70.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, when it is sultry indoors, a user may activate the ceiling fan 100 so that the fan blades 53 rotate to disturb air, producing cooling air flow. Importantly, during this process, the user may clearly see, through the transparent lower cover 90, motions of the sun, first planet and second planet gears 62, 64, 65, which provide an enjoyable visual effect in a way that is similar to certain mechanical watches having visible motions through transparent backs.

In sum, the benefits of the ceiling fan 100 of the disclosure are as follows.

1. Besides the ability to produce cooling air flow, the ceiling fan 100 of the disclosure may also produce an enjoyable visual effect by provision of the sun, first planet and second planet gears 62, 64, 65 which rotate mechanically and which are externally visible through the transparent lower cover 90.

2. Due to the low rotation speed of the driving motor 63 of the transmission unit 60 and the ratios between rotation speeds of the sun gear 62 and the first planet gear 64 and between the sun gear 62 and each of the second planet gears 65, noise produced during rotation is reduced.

It should be noted that a lighting apparatus (not shown) may be added to the ceiling fan 100 of the disclosure by way of the following steps: removing the switch cover 92 from the switch box 91; removing the decorative button 93 from the switch cover 92; pulling wiring (not shown) out through the sleeve hole 71; inserting wires of the light apparatus into the switch box 91 through the opening 921 of the switch cover 92 to connect to the wiring pulled out from the sleeve hole 71; securing the lighting apparatus to the switch cover 92; and securing the switch cover 92 back onto the switch box 91.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments maybe practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A ceiling fan comprising: a hanging base; an upper casing connected to said hanging base; a rotating motor disposed in said upper casing and including a stator axle that extends along an axis and a rotor seat that is rotatably mounted to said stator axle; a blade module connected to said rotor seat and including a plurality of fan blades that are displaced angularly from each other; and a transmission unit including a base seat that is connected to a bottom of said stator axle, a sun gear that is disposed rotatably on said base seat, a driving motor that is disposed on said base seat, and a first planet gear that is connected to said driving motor and that meshes with said sun gear, said driving motor driving said first planet gear to rotate said sun gear, said sun and first planet gears being exposed at a bottom side of said base seat so as to be externally visible.
 2. The ceiling fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transmission unit further includes at least one second planet gear disposed rotatably on said base seat and meshing with said sun gear.
 3. The ceiling fan as claimed in claim 2, wherein said at least one second planet gear includes two second planet gears.
 4. The ceiling fan as claimed in claim 2, wherein a ratio of a rotational speed of said sun gear to that of said first planet gear is 0.5, and a ratio of a rotational speed of said at least one second planet gear to that of said sun gear is
 2. 5. The ceiling fan as claimed in claim 4, wherein an output speed of said driving motor is 6 revolutions per minute.
 6. The ceiling fan as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first planet gear and said at least one second planet gear are equiangularly arranged about said sun gear.
 7. The ceiling fan as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a transparent lower cover connected to said base seat and disposed below said transmission unit, said sun, first planet and second planet gears being externally visible through said lower cover.
 8. The ceiling fan as claimed in claim 7, wherein: said base seat has an upper seat plate connected to said stator axle, and a lower seat plate connected to said upper seat plate and having an axle portion that extends downwardly along the axis, said upper seat plate having a central part whose bottom side is covered by said lower seat plate and a lateral part that surrounds said central part and that has a bottom side exposed around said lower seat plate; said driving motor is disposed on an upper side of said upper seat plate and has an output axle extending downwardly through said upper seat plate; and said sun gear is connected to said axle portion of said lower seat plate, said first planet gear being connected to said output axle and disposed below said lateral part of said upper seat plate, said at least one second planet gear being disposed on a bottom surface of said lateral part of said upper seat plate.
 9. The ceiling fan as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a hanging tube extending along the axis and interconnecting said hanging seat and said upper casing, said stator axle having an axle hole, said base seat defining an axle passage that extends from a top end of said upper seat plate to a bottom end of said lower seat plate and that is in spatial communication with said axle hole of said stator axle.
 10. The ceiling fan as claimed in claim 9, further comprising: an axle extension sleeve connected to said axle portion of said lower seat plate, and having a sleeve hole that is in spatial communication with said axle passage; a connecting plate connected to said axle extension sleeve, said lower cover being connected to said connecting plate and surrounding said axle extension sleeve; a switch box mounted to said connecting plate and disposed below said lower cover, said axle extension sleeve extending downwardly into said switch box; a switch cover mounted to said switch box and covering a bottom side of said switch box; and a decorative button mounted to said switch cover and disposed below said axle extension sleeve.
 11. The ceiling fan as claimed in claim 10, wherein said blade module further includes a mounting frame connected to said rotor seat and a plurality of blade supports arranged equiangularly about and mounted to said mounting frame, said fan blades being respectively mounted to said blade supports. 